4G Chipset Software

and Architecture
March 2, 2009

James C Chen, Ph.D

Senior Director
Product Marketing
(jchen@beceem.com)

1
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Agenda

• 4G WiMAX Products

• 4G WiMAX Chips

• 4G SW Architecture
– NDIS to Auto NDIS to Host-less
– 4G NDIS Driver/API model

• Summary

2
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

4G WiMAX Devices Available Today

3
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

4G WiMAX inside the Devices

Memory

EVDO 3G RF Front
Memory Chipset End
USB
CPU PC Hub
WiMAX 4G RF Front
(Network
Chipset End WiMAX 4G RF Front
Processor)
Chipset End
Single-Chip
4G WiMAX Only Dongle
Modems 4G/3G Mobile USB Devices

Laptops Mobile Routers

Memory EVDO 3G RF Front

Inside Wi-Fi/
WiMAX 4G RF Front
Chipset End

PC Chipset End CPU

Half Mini Card WiMAX 4G RF Front

Wi-Fi Chipset End
Co-ex
Filters

4
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

4G WiMAX USB

21mm 50 mm
32KB
EEPROM

32KHz
XTAL

WiMAX (RF/BB)

Antenna FEM (2.3-2.7GHz)

5
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

“What If”
4

RF Front
End WiMAX 4G
Co-ex Chipset 4G WiMAX Module
Filters ~ 300sqmm
6
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

4G WiMAX Chipset Integration is Rapid

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

65 nm
Higher Integration

RF/BB
65nm + CPU

RF/ Sample: Jan ‘10

BB
Mass Prod: Aug ’10
(8 months)
130 nm Sample: Apr ‘08
Mass Prod: Dec ’08
(9 months)
BB RF

Sample: Sept ‘06

Mass Prod: July ’07
(10 months)

Performance/Cost and Performance/Area

Increased Dramatically – Benefits Ecosystem
7
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Latest 4G WiMAX Chip Architecture

FEM
4-bit HS-SDIO
(3rdparty)
RX1 (3.3-3.8GHz)
USB 2.0 PHY 802.16e
Baseband RX1 (2.3-2.9GHz)
ANT1
MMC/SDHC Processor
(Release 1.0
and 1.5)
Peripherals TX1 (2.3-2.9GHz)
(MDDR RAM) and AFE I/Q
TX1 (3.3-3.8GHz)
Host I/Os
Serial FLASH ANT2
CPU
(200MHz)
RX2 (2.3-2.9GHz)
UARTs
RX2 (3.3-3.8GHz)
GPIOs

11mm x 11mm x 1.3mm

8
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Overview of Modem SW Architectures

MSFT Mobile Host-less

Host-Based Broadband/Auto
NDIS (Does not exist
NDIS; RAS for Modems)
Host Host Device
Device Driver
(Ethernet) (Port-based; dial-up) (Embedded)

TCP/IP Host Host Device

Provision/
Host Device Device
Authentication
Connection Host (must
Host (but comes with OS) Device
Manager install)

9
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

SW Architecture: Host-based On External Host

On-Chip

GUI

Connection
Manager EAP OMA-DM
Server
Diagnostics Client
Supplicant
API Library

Convergence Sub-Layer (NDIS Driver)

IPv4/IPv6
PHS/RoHC QoS
Classifiers

QoS (uGS, rt-PS, etc) MAC Layer Connection Mgmt,

ARQ/HARQ, Security Handover,
MBS, Encryption Idle/Sleep Mode

PHY Layer
10
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

API/Interface Library
• API provides application interfaces to:
– Control and Monitor (connect/disconnect, diagnostics)
– Configure (Idle mode, SNMP MIBs)
– Calibrate (MAC Address, RF, Security Certificates, etc.)

• Command-response type of interactions

• Implemented in loadable DLL
• Commands are ALWAYS asynchronous –registered function
called back for all responses
• C based implementation. Ensures portability to other operating
systems
• Sample applications (command line Connection Manager) to
demonstrate usage of these APIs

11
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Basic Host API Call Set

• Link: Link Up/Link Down. Performs net entry/dereg
• RSSI: RSSI level. Periodically/Stop returning RSSI level
• CINR: CINR Level. Periodically/Stop returning CINR level
• Handover: Handover Notification
• Power Saving Mode: Enter Idle mode
• Reset: Reset SS
• SS Info: Provide SS information
• DSX: Dynamic Service management. Service flow
add/change/delete. Both BS and MS initiated
• Authentication: Authentication management
• MIB support
12
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

API/Interface
Library
Sequences

13
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Beceem Connection Manager Engine

By Beceem

By Developer
• Advanced connection detection and
connection engine
• Allows the Customer to design a
separate GUI that has WiMAX profiles
that will be automatically detected

• User can then be either automatically

connected or can be prompted to
connect when the network is located
• Once connected, the user can then
be automatically authenticated.
Beceem will also provide EAP
supplicant
• Integrated set of diagnostic and
reporting capabilities

14
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Connection Manager Feature Summary

• Purpose
– Intended as a teaching tool for Beceem customers‟ software developers
– Illustrates use of Beceem WiMAX API library for connection management,
authentication, and information reporting
– Provides source code for all Beceem-developed components
• Software characteristics
– Connection Manager communicates with the WiMAX Adapter exclusively via
the WiMAX API library
– Client-Server architecture allows use of different user interfaces
– Both local and remote operation supported
– CLI Client, Server, and EAP Supplicant written in C
• Installation
– Windows: Connection Manager and EAP Supplicant installers provided
– Linux and OS X: Build script, make files, and source code provided
• Documentation
– Installation guides, user manual, programmers manual

15
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Connection Management
• Network search and BS selection
• Network entry and exit
• Authentication
• Information reporting
– Connection and device status
– Network search results
– Connection quality measurement
– Periodic link statistics and link status report
– Device information report
– Debugging trace log
• Device control
– Reset
– Download firmware and driver config file
– Idle mode control
– Shut down

16
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Client Server Architecture

• Server listens on the localhost interface (127.0.0.1)

• One or more clients run on the same computer as the
connection manager server
• Server runs on the Host processor that controls the Beceem
WiMAX device
• When multiple clients control the server, control conflicts can
arise

17
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

CLI Client Features

• Runs on Linux, Android, OS X, Windows XP/Vista/Win 7
• Run modes
– Execute single command and exit, or
– Open an interactive session for running multiple commands
• Scriptable with
– Python, Perl, Visual Basic Script, or any other scripting language
– Web page via CGI script
– Batch file
– Input redirection using list of commands
• Service auto-start (Windows only)
– Client can start the Beceem CM Service if the server is not running
– Command line switch specifies the server‟s config file path
• Command line switches
– Interactive run mode
– Server IP address and port
– Debug print level

18
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Advance RF Monitoring Tool

• Use for testing and

diagnosing devices that use
the Beceem chipsets

• Device Operation Modes

– Normal
– Calibration
– TX Continuous Wave (CW)
– TX Continuous OFDMA
– AGC free-run

19
 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

4G Diagnostic Tool

• Provides basic
diagnostic information
• Functionality
– Baseband statistics
information
– Base Station tracking
– Basic MAC debug
functionality by watching
and modifying firmware
memory locations
– Logging RSSI/CINR/Mac
management messages
– Mac management message
parsing
– Device reset/firmware
download

20
Thank You

21